Smartling, a content translation management firm, acquired Jargon, a mobile technology company which it said provides a “radically easy way for global brands to localise their mobile applications”.

Jargon’s technology provides enterprises with the ability to localise global content by dropping a single line of code into their app. Any new content, new languages or corrections can be immediately pushed over-the-air to native apps around the world.

It has also developed a set of interfaces that allow developers to test apps across any language via specialised mobile quality assurance (QA) workflows, revise translations directly on the app, or flag problems.

“No other app localisation solution on the market offers a comprehensive set of interfaces for translating and performing QA on a mobile app, in-context, directly within the app and on the actual device,” Smartling said.

The acquisition will also “augment” Smartling’s own Global Fluency Platform, which enables brands to translate content as it’s created.

The company believes fully localised apps lead to more downloads, more customers and more purchases. However, localisation can be time-consuming and complicated as every change typically requires an app store review, which can take weeks to complete.

“In today’s fast-moving mobile world, this is not acceptable,” it said in a statement.

Jack Welde, co-founder and CEO of Smartling, said the deal “augments our comprehensive API and impressive set of direct platform connectors, filling out the mobile channel in a way that no other company in the industry can match”.

“This is the first of several strategic developments to come as we seek to expand our Global Fluency Platform’s capabilities as well as our own market footprint through organic growth and acquisition,” he added.

Smartling is in the process of integrating the Jargon technology into its Global Fluency Platform, but claims to have already experienced market demand for the combined offering.